A forecast to assess the chance of visitors to Scotland being terrorised by its notorious biting midge has been launched by the Press and Journal.

The daily service – billed by the P&J as a world first – will help visitors and locals assess the risk of falling prey to the country’s most irritating insect.

The forecasts, launched this week, rate Scotland on a five-point scale each day, from one indicating that midges are a negligible threat to five where they are likely to be a real nuisance.

They were developed by Edinburgh University-based firm Advanced Pest Solutions, headed by Dr Alison Blackwell.

She said: “The forecasts will be useful to holiday makers so they can prepare for the day ahead. We’re not trying to tell people to avoid areas in Scotland, we’re just trying to make it easier to cope with pests.

"If you went to a hot country you would want to know how bad the mosquitoes were wouldn’t you?"

Watch out! There's a midge about.